You can create your own high quality information products in 72 hours or less. My friend Jim Edwards claims that anyone can become an expert in just about any topic with his 3 Step Formula. I’ve been telling my students that they already know more than many people do on a variety of topics, and here’s a detailed look at what Jim teaches:

The first step is to buy a book or an eBook on the topic you wish to become expert in, and then read it cover to cover. If you’re like me you may buy lots of books but not finish reading them all. In this case, you absolutely must read the book from beginning to end, and even then you may want to go back through it and take some notes.

The second step is to visit Amazon and look for five more books on the topic. Read through the table of contents for each one and add this information to your notes. The chapters will tend to cover the biggest and most important questions and problems people have when it comes to this topic, giving you an excellent sense of what type of information to include in the product you will create and market online in the next 72 hours.

The third step is to make a detailed list of the 10 main problems facing people who have an interest in the topic and the different methods and techniques that authors are suggesting  will solve them.

I do this regularly to get ideas and information for new products, affiliate bonuses, articles, blog posts, and short reports. You will learn so much by doing this type of research, and soon you will know what it’s like to feel like an expert in an area you previously knew very little about. Jim Edwards teaches a course on how to create information products in 72 hours, and this is just a piece of what he will cover within that training. You will be able to create your own information products quickly to build a profitable business on the Internet that will continue to grow for years to come.

Creating information products is a lucrative endeavor. We have been in the information age since the 1990s, and this is the perfect time for you to jump in and share the information you have on a variety of topics with others around the world. You already know enough to be able to get started with this, and people are eagerly awaiting your input, advice, and information.

I believe that everyone is an expert in one or more areas. Think about the various life experiences and situations you have dealt with over the years, jobs you have had, and hobbies or sports you have been involved in for years, even if you are no longer active with it. These are all areas where you could share your knowledge and experience in the form of an information product.

I will use photography as an example. As a teenager I loved taking pictures of my friends, as well as of beautiful scenic locations. This continues to be a huge area of interest for many people. During college I learned how to develop my own film and set up a makeshift darkroom so that I could print my photos quickly and inexpensively. This has changed in that everything is digital now, with no messy chemicals to deal with. Over the years I gave up this hobby, but about five years ago I decided to jump back in with digital photography and start again.

What is it that you would have similar knowledge about? Now imagine writing down what you know and sharing this information with others. I could explain, based on my personal experiences, how different it is to have photography as a hobby today from when I started more than twenty-five years ago. People will be happy to pay you for this helpful information, and you can create short reports, eBooks, and online presentations to get your message and your information out to the world.

Start out by making a list of what you are interested in, such as stamp collecting, photography, or being a better parent to your teenagers. Then make a second list of what you have experienced throughout your life, such as saving your credit after losing a job, going back to school in your forties or fifties, or caring for a child or family member with asthma.

Now it’s time to do some research by going over to Google and searching for which types of information and products are already available in those niche areas. If there are at least three products related to the area you are interested in, then there is an excellent chance that the market already exists for what you would create. I highly recommend starting there, instead of creating an information product in an area where everything is available online for free or for a very low investment.

This is a business that can turn the information, knowledge, and life experiences you already have into reports, eBooks, and other digital products that you can profit from for years to come. Have fun with this, and see just what is possible.

Creating information products can be lucrative, but it is also very rewarding in a more personal way. I hope you remember Bernie and Sue Ann, my retired teacher friends who have decided to come online and start a small business. Bernie used to work at a moving and storage company on the weekends and during the summer, and they signed up for my Money From Mini-Sites course to learn how to set up a site on this topic to make some extra money.

Last night they purchased my July 4th Special package, and this morning Sue Ann emailed to let me know they were creating their first product. It will be an info product to help people get moved from one place to another quickly, safely, and without having to spend a small fortune.

It turns out they have been invited to go to Washington, D.C. in November to participate in a special ceremony to honor the WW II veterans who are still alive, and their goal is to earn enough money to pay for this without having to ask their adult children for help.

She said that Bernie listened to the training from the Copywriting Clinic that’s included in the package, and that he was moved to tears when he heard the story from one of my students about Streak, the horse who suffered terribly when he was not trimmed properly.

Bernie was inspired to write his sales letter for his new product to help people with their move from one city to another. He’s including the story about about a young couple he helped get moved from Nebraska to California, only to learn that the wife and mother had been killed by a drunk driver on their second day in Los Angeles.

He and one of his co-workers stayed with the young man and baby while they went through their belongings, box by box, looking for photos and other momentos. The baby, a little girl, was too young to understand fully that her mother was gone forever. As they worked tirelessly through the night, they each shared stories of loss in their lives. Bernie shared the story of how his own father had passed away while he was stationed in France during the war. He never had a chance to say goodbye and to tell his father how much he loved him.

We find inspiration everywhere. I’m inspired by Sue Ann and Bernie, and their courage to start an online business with no prior experience doing this type of thing. They were inspired by the story of the horse who suffered needlessly. These stories lead us to creating products that others will benefit from in the years ahead. Where will you find your inspiration, and what action will you take as a result?

Information products are the way most of us working on the Internet are able to make money while we are sleeping. If you are already working online, or just getting started with your Internet business, being able to create info products quickly and easily will make a huge difference in your bottom line. These products are fun and easy to create, and over time you will increase your inventory and selection of what you can offer for sale to your prospects and clients. You can learn exactly what you need from Jim Edwards in his 72 Hour Products training. 

When thinking about creating a new product, remember to follow a simple formula each time, let people know about what you have for sale, and always ask your target market what type of information they would most like to have at that particular time. We all tend to want to complicate things, especially when we are just beginning our online businesses. I will encourage you to keep it simple! Start out with an outline of the information you would like to share. Then start doing some

If you have just started your online business during the past year or so, you may still be deciding whether to create your own information product or to promote other people’s products as an affiliate marketer. The choice is one only you can make, but I believe that you will be better off by recommending affiliate products in the beginning so that you can learn by observing how more experienced marketers run their business. After you have done that a few times you will then want to create your own product.

I’ve taught info product creation since 2008, but most of my students had difficulty in getting their products completed. During the past year I have not taught this course at all. Now I have found a superior training course called the 3 Day eBiz that teaches you exactly how to create your own product in just three days. This course is the creation of Geoff Hoff and Pat O’Bryan. I am now fortunate enough to know both of these men, and I can tell you that their information is first rate.

During the course of three days you will choose a niche, research the market, take a look at alternative sources of content, set up your sales letter (Geoff is a copywriter, so that’s a huge benefit to connecting with him), set up a download page, and publish your information on the Internet. They also teach marketing, so you will be sure to have a product that will sell.

If only there had been something like this when I was getting started back in 2006. Perhaps I would have made money a whole lot sooner. My students have been very excited about this training. If you do decide to take the course, please leave a comment here and I will email you the replay to the webinar I did with Geoff, where he goes into even more detail on how to get started with creating your own information product. My affiliate link is 3 Day Biz.

Creating your own information products is the way to build a business that will serve you for a lifetime. People will continue to search for information on the topics they need help with, and your product may be exactly what they are looking for. These products can be delivered digitally, so there is no inventory to store or to ship. To get started with this business you must choose a niche, start building a list, and then have products to offer your prospects and clients. I have a training on this that will get you started with creating your own information product.

It took me a full year online before I created my first product. In retrospect, I’m not sure why it took so long. I kept thinking that I didn’t know enough about my topic, which was blogging and article marketing, and that no one would be willing to spend money on something I created. Does this sound familiar?

As soon as I created it – a four part audio training with a study guide to go along with each part – many of the people who had joined my list that year were willing to purchase it. This made me feel much better, so I created another course two months later and invited everyone from the first course to attend as a bonus. Then there was no stopping me. I began to teach classes and write short reports and eBooks on various topics that I could sell.

Take a close look at what you are currently

You can write down some main points about your topic and record a 30 minute audio to have a product to sell or give away to your prospects. This may sound like it would not be a good idea because not enough time and thought went into it. Actually, it is just the opposite. If you put too much time and thought into creating your product, it may never get finished.

Do this quickly, within one day, and set it up online as a product. Going through this process will teach you exactly what you need to know in order to create your second product. This is the one where you will take more time to get it just the way you want it.

The idea is to get into action as quickly as possible. Once you do this you will understand completely what I mean. Let me know when you have your first information product ready by leaving a comment here. We all have to start somewhere, and this is the best way to jump in and test the water.

This may sound difficult, but it is actually very easy to create a product. Think about what the people on your list really want from you. My people usually want me to explain some aspect of technology to them. I am able to create products by simply recording a video of me explaining how to do whatever they want to know.

For example, when my list asked me to explain how to publish an eBook on Kindle, my webmaster and I created a one hour video on how to do that, showing the step by step details. This product now sells for $27 on my main blog. I also did a 90 minute recording of how to get started with affiliate marketing. I sell that for $20, and a short report is also included.

Find out what your list wants from you, and then create a product quickly to sell to them. You may decide to do an audio recording, a video, or write a short report. Each product you create helps you to build your online business while you are still learning, and make money in the process.